Recent Trends in Curcumin-Containing Inorganic-Based Nanoparticles Intended for In Vivo Cancer Therapy.

Curcumin is a natural compound that has been widely investigated thanks to its various biological properties, including antiproliferative. This molecule acts on different cancers such as lung, breast, pancreatic, colorectal, etc. However, the bioactive actions of curcumin have limitations when its physicochemical properties compromise its pharmacological potential. As a therapeutic strategy against cancer, curcumin has been associated with inorganic nanoparticles. These nanocarriers are capable of delivering curcumin and offering physicochemical properties that synergistically enhance anticancer properties. This review highlights the different types of curcumin-based inorganic nanoparticles and discusses their physicochemical properties and in vivo anticancer activity in different models of cancer.

Repeated donkey milk consumption reduces anxiety-like behaviors and brain oxidative damage to lipids in mice.

Donkey milk (DM) is a source of bioactive compounds that can benefit neural functioning. In the present study, we investigated the effects of DM consumption on anxiolytic-related, despair-like, locomotion and coordination behaviors, as well as the provision of protection from oxidative damage to lipids and proteins in brain tissues and melatonin plasma levels. To achieve this, male mice orally received DM (4 g.kg-1) or vehicle for 18 days. Their behavior was assessed in the following tests: elevated plus maze (EPM), open field and rotarod tests (OF, RR) and forced swimming test (FST). Acute treatments with diazepam (DZP, 1.5 mg.kg-1, v.o.), fluoxetine (FLX, 20 mg.kg-1, i.p.) and nortriptyline (NTP, 20 mg.kg-1, i.p.) were used as positive controls. On the eighteenth day, the animals were euthanized and brain tissue and blood were collected to measure oxidative damage, and melatonin plasma levels. Similar to DZP, repeated DM consumption reduced exploration to open areas in the EPM test. Under our experimental conditions, conventional antidepressants reduced immobility time in the FST, and the benzodiazepine treatment impaired motor coordination in mice. No significant differences in locomotion, motor coordination and despair-related behaviors were observed in the mice treated with DM when assessed in the EPM, OF, RR and FST, respectively. Biochemical assays showed that repeated DM exposition protected against oxidative damage to lipids and increased plasma levels of melatonin. These findings suggest consumption of DM may be a promising food for the treatment of anxiety-related disorders, without depressant effects on the central nervous system.